Ladder



J.' SPLANN.

(No Model.)

LADDER.

Patented July 11, 1893.

WITNESSES. WWW, 4M5

V INVENTOH A TTOHNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN SPLANN, OF ATHENS, PENNSYLVANIA.

LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,378, dated July 11, 1893- Applioation filed October 22, 1892. Serial No. 449,551- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN SPLANN, of Athens township,in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new'and Improved Ladder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in ladders, and the object of my invention is to produce a ladder which may be conveniently used as an extension ladder, a step ladder, or a horse to support a staging, which also is provided with means for quickly extending it or converting it from one kind of ladder to another, and which is cheap, strong and durable.

To these ends, my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the ladder, showing it partially extended. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation, showing it in position for use'as astepladder or horse; and Fig. 4 is a detail view of the ratchet which locks the Windlass and prevents the upper section of the ladder from falling.

The ladder comprises two sections moving in relation to each other, and the lower section 10 has parallel side pieces or rails 11 which are connected by suitable rungs 12, and by a roller or Windlass 13 which also serves as a rung, this roller being journaled in boxes 14 on the rails and having a hand crank 15 by which it may be turned. The roller is used for hoisting the upper ladder section and it is provided with a ratchet wheel 16 which is engaged by a pawl 17 on the railll of the lad der, and the pawl prevents the ratchet wheel from turning back. The lower section of the ladder is provided at the top with parallel cross bars 18 and 19 which arefirmly secured to the rails 11, and the top edges of the cross bars and the tops of the rails are beveled so that when the upper and lower sections of the ladder are spread apart to form a step ladder, as in Fig. 3, the step ladder will have a flat top surface. The rails 11 are grooved longitudinally on-their inner sides, as shown at 21, the grooves 21 intersecting the grooves 20, and the cross grooves 21 enable the ends 22 of the rungs 23 on the upper ladder section 24 to be pushed through into the grooves 20, and then the said projecting ends 22 may run in the grooves and will hold the upper ladder section in the proper position while it is being pushed up or while it is held raised. The upper and lower rungs 23 of the top section 24 have these projecting ends 22, and if desired, any number of the rungs may be made long enough to run in the grooves. The top section 24 has also parallel side rails 25 which are held to slide between the side rails 11 of the lower section and between the cross bars 18 and 19, so that by the aid of the cross bars the grooves 20 and the projecting ends 22 of the rungs 23, the two ladder sections are held firmly together. The top section 24 has its side rails provided near their upper ends and on the back sides with rollers 27 which are adapted to rest against the wall of a building, and which by running thereon will enable the top section to be easily raised. The top section 24 of the ladder is also provided with a roller 13*, which has a squared end 13 to which a crank 15 may be attached, and the object of the roller and crank is to provide means for raising the top section 24 from the upper portion of the lower section, that is,-by a person standing on the upper part of the lower section.

The hoisting of the ladder is effected by means of the windlasses on the upper and lower sections, and the hoisting cable 28, which is secured to the lower roller or windlass 13 extends upward over a pulley 29 in the cross bar 18 at the top of the lower ladder section, thence downward around a guide pulley 29 on the lower rung of the top section 24, and thence upward to the upper roller 13 on the upper ladder section, to which roller it is secured. By turning therollers 13 and 13 the cable is wound thereon or unwound if desired, and in this way the adjusting of the ladder is effected.

To adjust the ladder for use as a step ladder, the top section 24 is lowered so as to be held entirely within the lower section 10, and

' the two sections are pulled apart at the bottom into the position shown in Fig. 3, the grooves 21 permitting the lower rung 23 of the top section to be pulled outward from the grooves 20. WVhen the two ladder sections are placed in this position, the beveled top ends 26 of the rails 25 of the top section bear firmly upon the cross bar 18, and the back edges of the rails bear against the lower edge of the cross bar 19, so that a Very strong top joint is made and the ladder will sustain a great weight. When in this position and it is desired to use the ladder for a horse, boards or planks 31 are thrust through the ladder sections so as to rest upon opposite rungs and the other ends of the boards or planks may be supported upon another ladder in the same way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten t- 1. A ladder of the character described, comprising a lower section consisting of side rails having connecting rungs on their outer or front edges and parallel cross bars at the top, an upper section held to slide between the cross bars and between the side rails of the lower section, a Windlass carried by the lower section, a Windlass carried by the upper section, and a cable connection between the two windlasses, the cable being passed over suitable guide pulleys on the upper and lower portions of the lower and upper ladder sections, substantially as described.

2. A ladder comprising a main section, the

side bars of which are provided on their adjacent faces with longitudinal grooves intersected at their lower ends by transverse rearward extending grooves and front and rear cross pieces at the upper end of said side bars, and the sliding and swinging section sliding between the sides of the main section and having projections on the opposite faces of its sides near their lower ends in engagement with the said longitudinal grooves and adapted to be disengaged therefrom through said transverse grooves or slots when the sections are to be spread apart, substantially as set forth.

3. A ladder of the character described, comprising a lower section consisting of side rails having longitudinal grooves in their adjacent sides intersected by grooves 21, connecting rungs on their edges and parallel cross bars at the top, an upper section held to slide between the cross bars and having its rungs projecting through its rails and held to slide in said grooves in the rails of the lower section, a Windlass carried by the lower section, and an operative cable connection between the Windlass and the upper section whereby the upper section may be raised by winding the cable upon the Windlass, substantially as JOHN SPLANN.

described.

Witnesses:

THOMAS MURPHY, JAMES McARDLn. 

